Food and festivities

Even though Singaporeans love to travel during the holidays, many still make it a point to come home and celebrate with their family and friends. After all, there's a lot of exciting happenings on the island during this season. You can score great bargains from nearby shopping malls, catch holiday shows, eat various holiday delicacies and more. If you're planning to spend your year-end vacation in Singapore, here's a holiday guide featuring some suggestions on where to catch the festivities.

Where to see the shows

Across the island, you'll find different holiday-themed public shows. Clozette Ambassador Juliana shares that her must-go spot every year since she was a little girl is the Tanglin Mall for the outdoor snowfall. But she notes that these days, she also makes it a point to head to the Gardens By The Bay and Universal Studios for Christmas.

Gardens By The Bay

"I feel these are the most festive spots during this time with their decoration, food and activities," Juliana says. Another option is to go to Singapore’s biggest yuletide fair, Christmas Wonderland. This year, they will feature a charming European-style festive market, outdoor skating under the stars, carnival games and kiddie rides and luminaire sculptures.

New Year Countdown at Marina Bay Sands

Staying till New Year's Eve? Clozette Ambassador Maybeline recommends going to Le Méridien Singapore to catch the firework display. If you want to get close to the countdown, you can also brave the crowd at Marina Bay.

Where to find delicious food

It's no secret that Singaporeans love to eat, most especially during the holidays. In the mood for some hot pot? Clozetter Cello suggests trying Hai Di Lao at Plaza Singapura. If you wanna try unique cuisine, she also recommends visiting the Tiong Bahru neighbourhood for homey bites. For those who are up for a gastronomic adventure, Clozetter Shermaine shares that going to notable hawker centres in the island like Maxwell Market and Bedok 85 (open at night) is one you shouldn't miss.

However, if you're looking to indulge during the holidays, Clozette Ambassador Amanda says The Carvery at Park Hotel Alexandra has a really good festive buffet. "Their selection may not be the widest but every dish tastes really good," she says. Additionally, she also highly recommends going for a celebratory high tea at the Pollen restaurant, which is located at the flower dome. "The high tea costs about SGD40 per person and includes entry to the dome so I'd say it's really worth it," Amanda shares.

Everything is worth lining up for

"No matter where you go in Singapore during the festive season, there will always be a queue," Clozetter Cello warns. So be prepared for long lines and have some patience because whatever it is lining you're lining up for — whether a popular dish at a hawker centre or entrance to a show — is definitely worth it.

What's hot this year

Before we set our sights on all the new, exciting style fads in store for us in 2019, let's take a look back at the biggest fashion trends that hit the Clozette Community this year. From dainty dress designs to runway-inspired looks, here are the five hottest items in 2018 as sported by our favourite fashionistas. Which ones do you think will stay with us and which ones should we say goodbye to?

Looks that deserve the crown

In four days, we'll be able to witness yet another beauty to be crowned as Miss Universe 2018. But apart from the many impressive facets of the candidates vying for the crown, they are first and foremost the faces of the rich culture and history of their respective countries.

That's why the display of their national costumes — that encompass style, grace, and their nation in a nutshell — is buzz-worthy as a primer to the main event. So now that we've seen them all and have proven that each walk gets bigger and grander each year, we decided to give a rundown of looks from the Miss Universe 2018 National Costume category. Here are the ones that took our breath away as soon as they hit the stage.

Miss Australia

Channelling their country's national flower, the Golden Wattle, Miss Australia looked stunning in her soft and fairy-like garb of yellow and peach that truly captures the eye with its floral appeal.

Miss Belize

Inspired by the Mayan sun god, Miss Belize truly shone and embraced her inner goddess in this bold green and gold ensemble. Great choice, if we say so ourselves!

Miss Brazil

Inspired by an Amazonian goddess that turns into a bird, Miss Brazil's costume also boasted a transformation on-stage while relating to her advocacy for environmental protection.

Miss China

Colourful, exciting, and definitely eye-catching, Miss China wowed the crowd with her beautiful interpretation of historical Chinese dramas featuring quick-changing masks. Plus, don't get us started on how interesting that headpiece is.

Miss Curacao

Talk about regal. Embodying women empowerment and equal rights in this majestic white gown, Miss Curacao is probably one of our ultimate favourites among the bunch. She stated that she is "ready to break any chains" and celebrate the freedom of women in her country.

Miss Honduras

Another gorgeous ball gown that took the stage was Miss Honduras' blue and gold garb. Representing the blue oceans of Sta. Barbara, she truly looked like a sea goddess waiting to take the world by storm.

Miss Indonesia

We've seen a lot of queens wearing floral but here's one who owned the fauna department: Miss Indonesia. Taking inspiration from the nation's birds of paradise, she owned the stage with her feather-adorned outfit that stood out in red, white and yellow.

Miss Japan

Representing a nation that is well-known for the culmination of their past, present and even futuristic culture, Miss Japan surely knew how to nail everything her country is about. She donned not just one but two costumes in a single go. First appearing on stage in a kunoichi costume that represents female ninjas, she then transformed mid-walk to one of Japan's most internationally known manga characters, Sailor Moon.

Miss Korea

With the hanbok earning popularity in recent years because of the rise of K-culture, we're sure we're not the only ones who fell in love with the look when it entered the stage. The choice of crimson and blue effectively made the look captivating and we sure wish we can channel the same level of grace Miss Korea displayed when she walked in it.

Miss Malaysia

Inspired by a resourceful and protective spirit that is said to grace an ancient fishing civilisation, Miss Malaysia looked stunning in her Perahu Bangau national costume. From the shoulder crane to the 3-D element of the outfit that is meant to symbolise a boat, we can't help but fall in love with the craftsmanship that went into the look.

Miss Philippines

Full of historical, cultural and indigenous-inspired symbols and references from her country's three main islands, Miss Philippines' look is like a storybook that came to life on-stage. Created in collaboration with historians and many artists, the intricate details of the ensemble truly displayed the country's colourful heritage.

Miss Russia

Combining a beautiful face and a breathtaking dress makes a look that's one for the books and Miss Russia's ensemble gave us just that. Taking inspiration from women of power and nobility, she definitely served us royalty with this gorgeous concoction of blue and gold.

Miss Singapore

Highlighting SG's role as a 'global broker of peace' during the Trump-Kim summit, they may be known as the Little Red Dot, but Miss Singapore's look reminded us that they're not-so-little when it comes to their contributions to global welfare.

Miss Zambia

She may have been the last one to walk, but Miss Zambia gave us major 'strong, independent woman' vibes we never thought we needed with her gorgeous traditional garb of black, white and brown. Inspired by a look that women can only wear during harvest season as a symbol of purity, we're also all for the 'woman warrior' aura that this ensemble is serving.